Feeding mechanism for sewing-machines.



No. 790,067. PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

I H. MANNING. FEEDING MECHANISM PU? SEWING MAGHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15. 1908.

3..SHEETSSHEET 1.

Army/Mm No. 790,067. V PATENTED MAY 16, 1905. H. MANNING.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED JULY 15 1903.

3 SHBETS-SHEET 2.

' Henry Jfivzzzz'ny No. 790,067. PATENTED MAY 16, 1905.

H. MANNING. I FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 15 1903.

a SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES Patented May 16, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

. HENRY MA NING, or LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH LEO ROSENSCHEIN,OF NOTTINGHAM, ENGLAND.

FEEDING MECHANISM FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 790,067, dated May 16,1905.

Application filed July 15, 1903. Serial T10. 165,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MANNING, engineer, a subject of the King ofGreat Britain,

residing at 46 Grays Inn road, London, England, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements 1n Feeding Mechanlsm for Sewing-Machines, ofwhich the following is a Reference is to be hadto the accompany-' 7 ingdrawings, -wherein Figures 1 and 2am respectively front and endelevations of the sewing mechanism proper of the machine. Fig. 3 is asection on line 3 3, Fig. 2, showing the presser-foot lever.

The sewing mechanism proper comprises a lightframe consisting of frontand back members 1 2, held apart by stay-bolts and distance-collars andsupporting above them the work-plate 3, the back member 2 being providedwith clamping jaws 4, through the lower one of which works a thumb-screw5 for fixing the machine to the edge of a table or similar support, thework-plate 3 thus extending over the table-top at a convenient levelrelatively thereto.

The needle-bar consists of a rod 6, mounted to slide longitudinally invertical guides 7 8 on the front member 1 of the frame below and clearof the outer edge of the work-plate.

. The needle-arm 9 extends from the upper end of the needle-bar 6 overthe work-plate 3 and carries at its extremity the vertical needle 10,the length of the arni 9 being made sufficient to admit work of anyordinary width between the needle and needle-bar and the usual heavystationary arm for carrying and guiding the a disk 14, mounted on andturning with a horizontal shaft 15, journaled in bearings in the members1 2 of the frame, the profile of the cam-slot 12 being such that at eachrevolution of the shaft 15 the needle-bar 6 receives one completeup-and-down movement.

The shuttle 20 is carried by a rocking lever-arm 21, mounted tovibrate-in a vertical plane about a transverse axis 22 at the lower partof the machine-frame, this arm 21 being formed, preferably, as an openframe having at opposite sides of a central gap surfaces 23 ,24, engagedby a cam 25, carried ,by and turning with the shaft 15, the cam 25 beingof a form, as shown, adapted to produce the requisite to-and-fromovement of the shuttle in time with the reciprocations of the needle.v

The shuttle 2O rests in a cradle 26 at the upper end of the arm 21, thelower side of-the cradle being of such form that the shuttle con stantly tends under gravitation to remain with its flatside bearing againstthe shuttle-race 28, which is formed by a portion of the front face ofthe back member 2 of the machineframe, the needle 10 working in a groove29 in that face. The shuttle 20 is removably retainedin its cradle byany suitable means.

Step-by-step feed movement, adjustable in extent, is imparted to thework by means of the serrated presser-foot 40, which is carried by andprojects downward from an arm 41, extending over the work-plate from alever 42, mounted to vibrate clear of the outer edge of thework-plateabout the transverse axis 22, before mentioned, this lever being slottedor forked, as shown, to engage with the axis 22, so that the lever isfreeto receive also slight movement transversely of said axis. The lever42 is preferably formed (somewhat like the shuttle-carrier) as an openframe, having a central gap bounded by a cam-surface 43 43, engagedduring a portion of their revolution by a cam-stud and roller 44,carried by the disk 14, before mentioned, so that for each revolution ofthe shaft 15 the presser-foot presser-foot 40, being then in contactwith the work, will be caused to receive a movement parallel to thesurface of the work-plate 3, the cam-surface 43 48 being of suchconfiguration as to feed the work in the required direction, and willthen, during the next descent of the needle, (whereby the work will beheld steady independently of the presserfoot,) be raised clear of thework, moved backward, and again caused to descend so as to press uponand grip the work in readiness for the next feed movement. The lever 42is forced downward (so as normally to cause the presserfoot to hold thework upon the work-plate) and also rearward by means of a spring-arm 45,fixed at one end to the machine-frame and hearing by its other end uponan inclined ledge 46 on the lever 42, this ledge being of a lengthcorresponding to the amplitude of Vibratory movement of the lever 42,whose upward movement to clear the work is permitted by the fact of thelever engaging with the axis 22 by a fork or slot, as already described.For the purpose of regulating the length of stitch the amplitude of theangular vibration of the lever 42 in the rearward direction (this partof its movement being effected suddenly by the pressure of spring 45while the roller 44 is out of contact with the portion 43 of thecamsurface of said lever) is determined by means of an adjustable stopconsisting of a set-pin 47, screwing through a lug on the frame andprovided with a locknut 48, the stop 47 being struck by a padded proection 49 on the lever 42 at each return vibration of the latter.

The cam-studs 13 and 44 are both mounted upon the same side of the disk14, and the feed-cam lever 42 being placed between the disk 14 and theneedlebar cam 12 the camstud 13, which engages the latter, is made longenough to pass through the gap in thelever 42.

The shaft 15, which carries the cam-studs 13 and 44 and the shuttle-cam25, has fast upon it a pinion 50, in gear with a spur-wheel 51, fast ona shaft 52, mounted in hearings in the machine-frame and having at itsouter end a peripherally-grooved hand-wheel 53, carrying a crank-handle54, hinged to the wheel, so as to be adapted when not in use to befolded out of the way, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. Thecrank-handle 54 is retained in the operative and inoperative positionsby a spring 56, fixed to the hand-wheel and bearing against flats 57 58on the boss which carries the handle, and turns about the hinge-pin 55,the boss having a knuckle or stop to prevent the handle being forcedoutward beyond the operative position. The angular position of thehandle 54 on the circumference of the handwheel 53 is such that whenfree the handle will act as a counterpoise to retain the needlebar 6 inits highest position, wherein the needle 10 is most convenientlysituated for being threaded, the hand-wheel being,'if necessary,

further counterweighted, as at 59, to assistin producing this effect.

The needle-thread reel is mounted to turn about a pin 60, outstandingfrom the machineframe clear of the work-plate, the thread being led fromthe spool through a spring-tension device 61 of ordinary constructionand thence through guide-eyes 62 and 63 in the frame and at the top ofthe needle-bar, respectively, to the eye of the needle 10 by way of atake-up device, whereby the slack of the thread is drawn tight aftereach stitch. This takeup device consists of a light flexible springarm64, spirally coiled at one end, whereby it is attached to the needle-arm9, and havingat its free end a loop 65 for the passage of thethread-bight formed between a pair of guideeyes 67 on the needle-arm(preferably directly over the needle, as shown) and through which thethread is rove, the spring 64 tending to stretch the bight of thethread, but being capable of yieldingin the opposite direction, so thatwhen the needle-bar in rising draws the thread through the work thespring 64 will yield and (by permitting the shortening of thethreadbight) prevent an excess of slack being formed, whereas on thetension of the thread being released by the descent of the needle-barthe spring 64 will recover its previous position and in so doing willtake up the remaining slack of the thread. 68 is a combined guide andstop for the spring-arm 64.

The take-up device herein shown and described is not claimed in thepresent application, but forms the subject-matter of a separateapplication, filed January 25, 1904, Serial No. 190,501.

The shuttle-spool-winding device com prises a rotary spindle 70,journaled in a sleevebearing 71, carried by one limb, 72, of a U- shapedspring-frame pivoted at 7 3 to the front of the frame beneath the levelof the workplate 3, the spindle 70 having at its inner end a V-edgedpulley 74 of relatively small diameter, adapted to gear frictionallywith a V- shaped peripheral groove 75 on the disk 14. At its outer endthe spindle 70 has the usual spool-driving carrier 76, the spool 77 tobe filled being mounted between pivot-centers provided, respectively, onthe carrier 76 and on the other limb, 78, of the U-shaped frame, whichis so formed out of a single strip of flat spring-steel that its limbs72 78 tend to spring together, and so hold the spool between them. Whenthe spool Winding device is in use, the periphery of the friction-pulley74 is held in gear with the groove 75 of disk 14 by the arm 72 beingsprung over a projection 79 on the machine-frame. In order to hold thereel from which the shuttle-spool 77 is to be filled, there is provideda stud-pin, (indicated by the dotted lines at 80,) which is screwed forthe time being into a tapped hole in a lateral extension 81 of thework-plate, the same hole serving to receive the clamping- Screw 82,whereby the work-guide, 'hemmer,

and other such adjuncts are secured in positionwhen required. I

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I-claim is' In a lock-stitch sewing-machine,'a' presserfoot forfeeding the work, a lever comprising an open frame having cam-surfacesand provided at its upper end with an arm carrying the presser-foot, ashaft extending through the opening in thelever and carrying a camstudadapted to engage the cam-surfaces of the lever during a part of therevolution of the shaft to move the lever in one direction to feed thework, a'spring secured at oneend Witnesses:

THOMAS W. KENNARD, C. G. CLARK.

